Building, Maintaining, Marketing websites and social media

Posts Tagged ‘social media’

It’s no secret that the economy is lousy in the United States and Europe, and that means that competition for job openings are higher than ever. With everyone jumping on the social media bandwagon, it seems like a logical place to post and look f

or jobs. But you can waste your valuable job searching time and energy without a plan. I interviewed job search expert and blogging guru Jacob Share for his top tips on maximizing LinkedIn and Twitter for hunting job openings.

1. LinkedIn is clearly the most professionally-oriented major social network. But with apps like BeKnown for Facebook, job searches on Twitter, and emerging startups like Zerply also trying to be a job resource, do you think that will change?

There are definitely competitors salivating to become the next LinkedIn, but so far I don’t see any serious competition; LinkedIn is still the default place to post your resume online, and the default place that recruiters go to search for resumes online.

Of the options you mentioned, only BeKnown has the potential to take some of that business from LinkedIn, but while the concept of sourcing candidates via Facebook is attractive to recruiters, there isn’t yet much motivation for non-job seeking users to use BeKnown and it will take a large push from Facebook itself to convince most of its users that it’s also a professional place to be for them.

2. What are your top tips for getting found in your niche on LinkedIn?

To be found, you need to understand how you’re being looked for.

Recruiters

Less sophisticated recruiters and HR managers on LinkedIn will search by querying various keywords plucked from their job description, coupled with a search filter on location, to find relevant candidates in the area.

The more sophisticated recruiters and HR managers have tools that search LinkedIn querying for various keywords with long, complicated queries that are designed to only find fewer, more relevant candidates. Then they will use their Talent-level LinkedIn accounts to filter them again and then contact them directly.

In other words, for recruiters, pertinent keywords in your Public Profile and personal information are how you’re going to be found.

So when you start your job search, make sure your profile contains the right keywords. And what are they? Take 5 job listings that appeal to you and create one big Wordle with their texts. The largest words are a good start for your keywords.

Non-recruiters

Everyone else that might find you is a non-recruiter, and they will find you if you have a memorable personal brand.

The idea is that by smartly building your brand on LinkedIn, other users who know of relevant openings will think “wow, Jacob would be the perfect person for that position. I wonder if he’d be interested?”

The way to build your brand on LinkedIn is to:

Have a Public profile that showcases your achievements in your niche

Connect and help other users, especially in your niche (but not only!)

Be an active participant in niche LinkedIn groups

Ask and answer questions that show off your expertise in LinkedIn
answers

3. Larger companies generally have more resources to dedicate to social media and even create separate twitter accounts for their job postings, thus making them pretty easy to find, but how can a job hunter use twitter to find jobs in smaller companies, or openings that aren’t blasted out to thousands of other people?

First of all, Twitter Search is only good for real-time search. Instead, one tip that I talk about in my Ultimate Twitter Job Search Guide is to use Google to search Twitter’s tweet archive, and its Advanced Search filters for better results. For example, Twitter Search only includes tweets from the past 10 days. Using Google, you can find relevant job listings that were posted 11 days ago and beyond.

As you correctly point out, larger companies have larger budgets and will try to do things in a more rigorous, professional way, using automation tools that will post job listings on Twitter using a standard format. Smaller companies, on the other hand, will simply tweet out what they’re looking for using more common language such as “we need a …” or “looking to hire a … “. You can then use a tool like LocaFollow to search for similar tweets in a certain location, i.e. where you’re looking to work.

4. When job searching through social media, a person is likely to come across offers from companies they are unfamiliar with. What are some precautions you can take to make sure you don’t get
scammed?

The first rule of not being scammed is that if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. So if anything sets off alarm bells in your head, skip it. There really are other leads. Don’t set yourself up for a fall; job search is hard enough as it is.

The second rule is to do a background check. Read up on the company’s website, Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, Google+ page, etc. Are actual employees portrayed there, with names and pictures? If so, look for them on the social networks, especially LinkedIn, where you can often also find former employees, who are less constrained in what they have to say about the company and might be more willing to give you inside information.

As you can tell, this background check also serves as great research for potential interview questions you could ask, if the opening really is legitimate.

rath, internet marketing” width=”85″ height=”85″ />Hillel Porath is the Online Marketing Director for IsraelExporter.com, a membership-based website for Israeli export companies. Hillel has generated thousands of leads for his clients by helping exporters connect with distributors, retail buyers, and sales reps. He also consults for Skylimit, a leading business development and marketing company working with Israeli export companies seeking to open new markets. He also maintains a popular internet marketing blog at http://www.iyazam.com.

1. How do you use LinkedIn for lead generation? What about companies that aren’t savvy enough to be using LinkedIn?

I’ve counted and there are about 30 ways I use LinkedIn to generate leads.

In a nutshell the two basic tools (+ #3) I use on LinkedIn are:

1) Pre-selling with articles via the Groups

2) Directly connecting with the relevant professionals

3) Following up with those professionals

In a nutshell: If a marketer wants to know how to use LinkedIn effectively it all comes down to this: I won’t promote a company until they define for me the ideal/exact profile of the lead they would like to see and connect with. Once I have this information I can then go on LinkedIn and start digging to find the person that fits this profile. All of the information is on LinkedIn already

If companies are not savvy enough I can only recommend two things:

1 -In a few weeks I’ll be launching a three-part online workshop via http://www.live-ed.com on Lead Generation. This online workshop will mainly be focused on LinkedIn. In addition I am launching another information product which will hopefully be ready very soon.

2- Read my answer in the last question and learn how it can work for your business.

2. How did you get into lead generation for Israeli export companies?

Skylimit, a company in Tel Aviv that provides marketing and business development services for Israeli export companies realized that many companies did not want to pay the high price for internet marketing services such as SEO and social media campaigns from outside companies, and many companies were very skeptical if it would actually work for them. On the other hand, companies knew that they simply cannot ignore the internet.

In 2009, Skylimit came up with the idea of creating a membership platform for Israeli export companies where they can enjoy the benefits of various internet marketing services without having to “pay the price”. I joined the team in June 2009 and it was more or less of a side gig (now full-time:). After selling this idea, we launched IsraelExporter.com in August 2009 .

For each company that joins the site we create a “mini website” and there they can upload content, pictures, a video, brochures and a Powerpoint presentation. In the beginning we were providing all of the various SEO and social media services for our members, but when we submitted to them reports at the end of the month, they didn’t understand them and for the most part SEO, Twitter and Facebook didn’t really interest them.

That’s when we focused our efforts completely on hard-core LinkedIn lead generation and to our surprise the results were coming in very fast. Over the last two years we’ve generated thousands of leads for our members.

Our change of approach allowed us to recruit many new members and today we provide via the IsraelExporter.com and mainly LinkedIn lead generation services to several hundred of Israel’s leading export companies.

3. What other features would you like to see on LinkedIn?

That’s a good question. LinkedIn as it is now is incredible. If you remember LinkedIn 2 or 3 years ago it was very frustrating and not user-friendly at all. In general I would like to see some improvements with the company pages but from what I hear it’s going to happen very soon.

4. Some LinkedIn groups and discussion forums, though valuable, also contain a lot of spam. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff and find quality leads?

Spam exists everywhere on the internet. The spam that frustrates me the most on LinkedIn is when people present themselves in one way and they end up being something else. For example: Recently a guy presented himself to me as a retail buyer for a leading chain store in Europe. He told me where he was located and in it just so happens that next month is a huge exhibition for the industry that he is “involved” in that city. I asked him if he’ll be attending the exhibition and he never heard of it…sure enough this guy was off LinkedIn very quickly.

Now why would someone create a fake profile like that of a retail buyer? They usually like to do that for two reasons:

1 – They like to get friendly with companies and present themselves as the “decision maker” in the company and once they feel the time is right they will tell companies that in order to continue the process they must pay the ‘sign up fee…’

2 - They like to get friendly with companies and then eventually try to turn things around and promote their own products to the companies.

5. What other social networks do you use, and how do you use them?

I mainly focus on B2B networks such as LinkedIn, Traderscity and a little bit of Alibaba. I also like various niche B2B networks on Ning.com as well.

6. What techniques do you use to demonstrate value to prospective clients?

Three ways:

1 – Now that we’ve been online and active for two years and we have generated thousands of leads – any new company that comes to us or that we approach – we can basically offer them immediate access to our data base of warm leads – in just about any industry.

2- We have many testimonials from current members and these are very effective for recruiting new companies.

3- We have many well-known, large companies - like Sano Cleaning Products, Wissotzky Tea, Elcam, Carmit, Moraz, Dr Fischer etc.. and when new companies see this – they understand the value of the site and our services.

Above all: I really like Brian Tracy because I think that its critical to learn the psychology and science behind it all: It doesn’t matter if you know how to use LinkedIn, Facebook etc.. what matters is if you know what causes people to respond when seeing an ad, content etc.., how to write words that can sell, how to get people interested and really excited about what you are promoting….. it’s truly fascinating because when you discover the psychology and science of it all – you will know how to create a lead generation campaign that will do one thing: generate leads!

Don’t have time for social media? Think Internet marketing is a passing phase? About 97 out of every 100 consumers use online resources like Google, Facebook and YouTube to research products or services. It’s a natural instinct for most people to G

There’s a saying in Hebrew “If you’re not there, you don’t exist” (it sounds all cutesy and rhymes in the original), and it certainly applies here. If you’re not online, you’re missing a tremendous opportunity to reach targeted customers and maintaining their loyalty.

The most common complaint I hear from business owners is that they are too busy running their business to worry about updating their website or “playing around” on Facebook. “My business doesn’t have time for social media,” they say. That’s basically like saying “I don’t want to be listed in the yellow pages” or not wanting to spend money on advertising. Marketing online is cheaper than traditional print advertising and reaches a targeted audience. Besides, with the proper planning, your internet marketing strategy can work for you while you’re running your business.

But… it takes time. In order for a social media marketing campaign to become effective you need to first establish credibility and provide value for lots and lots of people. If you keep providing valuable information, you will get noticed. And chaces are that if you’re providing a valuable product or service to a customer, you have a lot to share about it on Facebook or Twitter, in a blog post, or on a YouTube video.

Some internet marketers think that you should join as many networks as possible. I encourage businesses getting started with a social media campaign to focus only on one or two social networks, unless they have a marketing team with resources for social media. Want to know where to start? Facebook and Twitter is usually a good place. You can also set up an appointment with me to discuss an initial strategy.

If you think social media is just for teenagers bored in class, you are wroooong, my friend. A Pew Internet survey released on Friday showed that viagra online uk

azine” href=”http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391975,00.asp%20-%20More%20than%20half%20Americans%20on%20social%20media”>65% of adults online say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn. This number represents half of all American adults. The biggest growth was among middle-aged baby boomers, ages 50-64, whose social networking site usage on a typical day grew 60% (from 20% to 32%).

Steve Jobs Resigns as Apple CEO

It’s unlikely that you’ve read it here first. Steve Jobs, who changed how we listen to music (iPod), display media (iPad), and expect computers to look (iMac) stepped down as the CEO of Apple, which grew from so much more than the producer of Macintosh computers to an entire media empire. For lifelong Apple product users like me, it’s the end of an era. But I expect the company to keep growing and innovating. I still wish I bought Apple stock 10 years ago.

I recently ran into someone I hadn’t seen in a few years and found out that she had just moved to Israel. “Oh, aren’t we friends on Facebook”? I asked, recalling that I hadn’t seen a post from her in a long time. “You defriended me” she said, definitively. Awkward!

I don’t remember why I might have done that, but let’s say there is someone you don’t want to be getting reports from all the time. Unlike “defriending” or “deplusing”(?) someone, Google+ now lets you ignore people. Much sneakier!

Group Coupons on the Decline?

I’ve heard from businesses participating in deals like Groupon that they dealt deep discounts to hundreds of people and disappointingly did not receive repeat customers in return. I often wondered if such deals benefit any participating businesses in the long run.

For a while, Groupon and several localized spinoffs were proliferating all over the web. But a favorite local group coupon site GroopBuy mysteriously shut down toward the end of July. Now Search Engine Land is reporting that Facebook’s Social Deals is shutting down after only four months.

Have you run a successful group coupon campaign?

Hurricane Irene Tweeting Up a Storm (ha!)

The hurricane traveling up the U.S. eastern seaboard en route to New York City has a name similar to mine, which is a bit disarming. I guess the Twitter username @irene hadn’t been registered until now, because if you follow @irene, you’ll get live updates from the storm — sometimes serious, sometimes snarky.

LinkedIn Tips for Job Hunters and Networkers

The Huffington Post published “13 Tips for Job Hunting on LinkedIn” with great visuals. I think it’s misnamed though. The tips are great for anyone looking to get more out of the social network.

Is it just me though, or is the Huffington Post getting a little too button happy? Sometimes I can’t find the article on the page I tried leaving a comment on this post, and despite logging in through Twitter and Facebook, I kept getting a jQuery pop up to receive their newsletter and. I couldn’t proceed on to leaving a comment. Sometimes you just want simple functionality

Great Expectations for Google+ Brand Accounts

One of the biggest things distinguishing the social network newcomer from its peers at Facebook and Twitter is that businesses aren’t allowed accounts (yet), but Google confirmed that business accounts are in the works. Mashable posted a wish list of features that social media account managers said they’d like or expect to see in a brand account. Some of the most innovative were:

Hosting scheduled Hangouts with high-level employees like CEOs and CTOs to talk about company and industry developments (I’d only expect this from businesses that are already heavily invested in social media)

Releasing an API so that software developers can customize new products

Integration of Google Places, tapping into the trend of location-based social media

What would you like to see from a Google+ brand account?

Twitter Launches User Photo Galleries

Expanding upon the release of direct photo uploads to the Twitter interface last week, Twitter is now rolling out photo galleries, reports Search Engine Land. This feature is designed to make searching images shared on Twitter a lot easier. I’m surprised that Twitter is making all of these changes to its interface given that most serious users use a third-party client such as Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, or a mobile app. But tools like an effective photo search can bring people back to Twitter.

Cool Tools of the Week:

Prey: This free software keeps track of your phone (sorry no iPhones) or laptop at all times and will help you find it if it ever gets lost or stolen. Various paid Pro versions let you exceed the 3 device limit. (Hat tip: Mashable)

PlusSync: This extension for the Chrome browser allows you to simultaneously post on:

a social network. That sounds confusing, but it’s actually quite easy to use.

That is, if you want to bother. There are so many new social networks these days, that I need to be convinced that a new profile and contacts to keep tabs on is really going to be worth my time. Even if your main focus right now is finding a job, you still need to be careful about where you place your time and efforts.

What I Liked

It’s easy to use. BeKnown installation was a total snap. You just click a button. Literally. Also, because I’m already in Facebook, I don’t have to open another window or tab or remember another username and password combo.

It’s fun! There is a cute little bee as the logo, and you can earn badges for your efforts in the network and personal career gains.

It’s available in 19 languages (as compared to 9 in LinkedIn or 1 in BranchOut).

It’s an easy to way to keep Facebook friends that you know in a professional capacity away from some potentially damaging data. While it’s always recommended to be very careful about what you post on Facebook or online in general, creating lists and adjusting privacy settings in Facebook is a bit of a hassle, and I always have this sneaking suspicion that I didn’t set something write, forgot to add a person to a more limited friends list, or I neglected to adjust the settings on a photo album. BeKnown keeps professional data and contacts where they belong.

What I Didn’t Like

Mostly, I don’t feel like recreating all of my efforts on LinkedIn. I have more active business connections on LinkedIn than I do on Facebook. I like to keep my Facebook the place where I go for fun and entertainment.

A sigh of relief came when I saw a box at the top “In a hurry? Import from Monster or LinkedIn”. But when I clicked the “LinkedIn” button, I got an error message saying that LinkedIn blocked the import. Ho hum. It turns out that LinkedIn shut off API (application programming interface) access.

No personalized requests. On LinkedIn, when you ask to connect to someone new, default message text saying “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” appears, but you can edit it. On BeKnown, you have no choice but to say “Hi – Please join my professional network on BeKnown. Now we can connect professionally on Facebook without mixing business and friends. Thanks.” I don’t want to say that! I feel like that’s saying to a Facebook friend, “I don’t actually want to be friends with you.”

You risk annoying people. I already asked several former colleagues and people I’ve done business with to give me a recommendation on LinkedIn. I really don’t want to bug them again for BeKnown. I’m not sure I want to invite many contacts to join the social network either. I recently invited a lot of people to LinkedIn, and very few took me up on it.

It’s associated with Monster. I never had anything remotely resembling luck with Monster when performing a job search. I always got totally unrelated jobs sent to me and a lot of spam n’ scam.

“Skills” interface. One of the things you’re directed to do in order to get a complete profile is to fill out your skill set. You can only automatically import from Monster, which I haven’t visited in years, for reasons stated above. So I tried to manually fill out my skills. You’re supposed to list how long you’ve had a given skill and where you used it. Except your choices are displayed in a drop-down menu. Bad. The first thing that I submitted was “Writing”. Well, I happen to have used my writing skills in more than one job, but I couldn’t indicate that, so I left that part blank.

One of the things that I like about having professional contacts be my friends on Facebook is that I have things in common with them as a result of our shared professional interests. I might post an article on Facebook that they will find interesting and vice versa. I don’t see a way of sharing new articles or links as I would in the normal Facebook interface (or LinkedIn).

Other Thoughts

From a job recruiter’s perspective, there are many more benefits to BeKnown. What immediately stands out is the ability to mine Facebook’s approximately 700 million users, thereby extending recruitment reach into more passive job seekers.

According to an article in Personnel Today, BeKnown is expected to release an additional feature next month that will provide financial compensation for professional referrals, though it didn’t say if payment was contingent on the referral turning into a job placement. It’d better be, otherwise this feature will quickly be abused.

BeKnown is coming on the heels of BranchOut, a Facebook application released in July 2010 that allows you to connect with others and network for jobs on Facebook without having professional contacts see your personal data. It has already grown to 800,000 users.

Summary

BeKnown is a user-friendly interface for job seekers and recruiters to make professional connections through Facebook. The global reach of Facebook provides it with a tremendous user base that facilitates making these connections and sidesteps the hassle of creating another profile on a separate social network. On the other hand, several features do need to be rebuilt, and some users may shy away from mixing the business of professional networking with the pleasure of goofing around on Facebook.

The ideal market for BeKnown is probably recent college grads. They are entering a hostile employment market, likely haven’t devoted too much time into professional social networking, and they might just have a photo or two in their Facebook profile that a potential employer or boss really shouldn’t see.

If I hadn’t already established a solid base of professional contacts in the regular Facebook interface and especially on LinkedIn, I think that BeKnown would hold greater appeal, and millions of people fit this bill. Despite the initial skepticism that I and others share, it seems that there is potential for mining the captive market in Facebook’s global empire. After all, people spend a lot of time on Facebook. According to comScore, Facebook accounted for 10 percent of U.S. page views last year, while three out of every ten Internet sessions included a visit to the site. Rather than steal people away, savvy startups like BeKnown are trying to get their piece of the pie from within.